Fast and easy? Adaptable? Simple? Delicious? That’s this vegetarian pad thai.
Once again, NOODLES.
Here we are again, just me and my big bowl-o-noodles… and a few veggies, and a lot of sauce, and a handful of fresh basil and cilantro…. a fork, a hungry mouth, a heart-eyes emoji… ugh. This reunion with me and cooking could not get any happier.
This Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai is first and foremost RAINBOW, which is the only fun way to eat anything in life.
It is brown rice noodles (because we’re currently doing the sugar free experiment again and loosely avoiding refined grains) and spiralized veggies (because veggies in noodle form feels like more noodles) and a super tangy-delicious Pad Thai sauce that you just shake up in a jar in about five seconds flat, and peanuts that almost instantly start to soak up the sauce, and a gently scrambled egg that kind of cream-ifies the whole thing.
Also: fresh herbs by the fistful. You’ll take a bite, you’ll love it, and then you’ll remember you have to add in the basil, and so you’ll add them in and try your second bite complete with the herbs, and OH MY GOODNESS things just went to the next level. I’m so excited for you.
This Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai (with peanuts and basil dohhh) is just really good, my friends. It is really good and surprisingly easy. I took a few ideas I had seen out there in the big wide internet world (vegetables as noodles! Pad Thai sauce-ery!) and made them into this. And I am so happy with how it turned out + the minuscule amount of effort it takes to get there.
What’s that now? Make something requiring more than three seconds of brain energy during the Crazy Days with our three littles? Sweet friends. You overestimate.
As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’ve been really taking it easy lately in the kitchen. When I say take it easy, I don’t mean making ten minute basil artichoke toasts and five minute magic green sauce. I mean taking it easy as in NOT COOKING ANYTHING. We’re talking life-saving dinner made by friends, hot dogs (gulp), mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets out of the freezer. During these last few weeks, my old self has definitely been food-snob-judging my current self. If nothing else, this experience has shown me that my ideals for cooking and feeding kids have some work to do in terms of aligning themselves with reality.
Reality = I’m tired and I haven’t had a ton of energy or appetite for cooking.
Reality = I want to marry the person who invented applesauce in pouches.
Reality = We’re getting the hang of it. It’s getting better. The kids ate REAL apples last week (coated with sugar and cinnamon and dipped in ketchup and hot sauce but whateverrrrr).
We have the kids for a few more days this week before they go back to their family, and I honestly thought I wouldn’t see the inside of a kitchen for the rest of the time that they were with us, but somehow, during these last few days, I’ve army-crawled my way back into the kitchen to fight something delicious into existence which feels like a major personal and professional win. I even found it in me to eat this Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai for dinner the other night while feeding the kids some leftover pizza and apples. YES I KNOW. I rose to that level of Adult Eating Adult Food.
It’s a hard job, all this noodle-eating, but I’m willing to fight the good fight. Carry on, Warrior!
Let’s talk about how to make this Pad Thai, because it’s so easy. More like I’ll show you with pictures because I talk too much, always.
One thing I should note real quick that the really fun thing about this recipe is spiralizing the veggies. You don’t need-need-need a spiralizer – you can use a peeler or just cut the veggies into thin strips – but man oh man, that thing is fun to use.
And with a swirl of the spiralizer, a shake of the sauce jar, and tong-toss of the noodles in the pan, you’ve got yourself one YUMMMMMY plate of Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai.
Hello, awesomeness.
- 4 ounces brown rice noodles (you can get stir-fry type noodles or Pad Thai noodles - and usually that's half a box)
- 1 zucchini
- 1 red pepper
- half a yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup peanuts, chopped
- ½ cup fresh herbs like cilantro, green onions, and basil, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce or vegan fish sauce substitute
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or sub another sweetener)
- 3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek)
- Place the uncooked noodles in a bowl of cold water to soak.
- Spiralize the zucchini, red pepper, and onion into noodle-like shapes. Cut the carrots into very small pieces (or spiralize them, too, if they're big enough).
- Shake up the sauce ingredients in a jar.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add the veggies - stir fry with tongs for 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp (if they are not spiralized, they might need longer). Be careful not to overcook them - they'll get soggy and heavy. Transfer to a dish and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Drain the noodles - they should be softened by now. Add the noodles to the hot pan and stir fry for a minute, using tongs to toss. Add the sauce and stir fry for another minute or two, until the sauce is starting to thicken and stick to the noodles. Push the noodles aside to make a little room for the egg - pour the beaten egg into the pan and let it sit for 30 seconds or so. Toss everything around with the tongs. The egg mixture will stick to the noodles and everything will start getting sticky.
- Add in the vegetables, toss together, and remove from heat. Stir in the peanuts and herbs and serve immediately.
You might not need all the sauce in this recipe, but I (as a sauce lover) did use all of it! I would say just eyeball whatever amount looks good to you and save the rest to add in later if you want.
This recipe is gluten free other than the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, so just swap that out for something else if you need it to be gluten free!
NOTE: The fish sauce is a key ingredient and the flavor is hard to replicate, and personally, I’m not a die-hard vegetarian, so this works for me as is. But that being said, if I were an absolutely 100% vegetarian, I would try this recipe as a vegan fish sauce substitute.
Note: this post contains affiliate links for the brown rice noodles!
For more spiralizer ideas, check out this post:
Sam @ SugarSpunRun
Oh Lindsay I LOVE your easy, healthy meals and this is no exception! This looks amazing, and I love all those crushed up peanuts they add such a fantastic texture!
Lindsay
Thanks Sam! Appreciate that!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye
Oh why hello, gorgeous! THIS is what’s making my stomach growl at 7:30 a.m. My oatmeal suddenly seems a bit lacking with all those gloriously swirled noodles ;). Love that you shot this on that wood backdrop as well! It brings such a nice warm and earthy feel to the photo!
Feel free to send over a plate of this to California haha! Happy Monday!
Lindsay
Thanks Christine! Glad you like the wood! 🙂
Cristina
Hi Lindsay, I really enjoyed your post! It feels so real: life with picky eaters is troublesome especially when it comes to healthy food. Yay to you for having them eating fresh apples! You’re doing a great job with those kids and I am so in awe after admiring this lovely vegetarian pad thai that you mastered meanwhile. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Lindsay
Thanks Cristina! That’s so sweet and encouraging! Thank you!
Mary | Cookingreporter
So easy and awesome looking! I can’t wait to give this recipe a whirl.
Lindsay
Thanks Mary! Hope you like it!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness
Pad Thai is a BIG deal in our house. Like, I make the sauce on the reg and keep it in the fridge so we can face plant into it ALL the meals.
And the rainbow goodness? HECK to the yes. I am majorly needing some take-er-easy meals, so I am all about this. Pinned!
Lindsay
Love it! Pad Thai fans for lyfe.
Amy
Goodness, that looks mighty tasty. Okay, so as a newbie to the vegetarian world, can I ask a quick question? Is fish sauce a go for super serious vegetarians? Hosting friends tonight and this looks like just the ticket, but I want to make sure it’ll work for them. Thanks!
Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies
Most vegetarians would be pretty angry if they found out after eating that their meal contained fish sauce. I would personally consider it on par with using chicken/beef broth. I’ve seen a recipe for vegetarian fish sauce (http://veganmiam.com/recipes/vegan-fish-sauce) and I’ve personally just swapped it out for low sodium soy sauce or a touch of miso in other recipes.
Lindsay
Thanks for sharing Kelly! That’s really helpful.
Lindsay
Agreed! I would swap it out if the people you’re cooking for are full time, real deal vegetarians. I also linked a vegan fish sauce in the post that you could try as a replacement! Thanks for the comment Amy!
Tess
Hi! I just tried this but made a couple tweaks, just because I didn’t have all the ingredients. I was looking for a good base recipe and this is it! Thanks! 🙂 (My tweaks were really just using a bit of peanut butter to make the sauce creamy and have more body–since I didn’t have fish sauce, using spinach instead of zucchini, omitting the egg, and using sriracha! Oh, and squeezing a little lime juice into the sauce, too!)
On the topic of vegan fish sauce, I found this recipe a while ago and pinned it for reference (I’m not vegan, but one never knows when it’ll come in handy): http://food52.com/blog/15368-a-fish-sauce-with-all-of-the-flavor-none-of-the-fish
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great feedback, Tess! Thanks!
Sydney | Modern Granola
This looks so good! I’ve always been a little afraid of making Pad Thai at home because I thought the sauce was difficult, but your sauce appears to be so easy! I must try this out!
xx Sydney
Lindsay
Thanks Sydney!
Lissa
Mmmm… That looks so good. Some people might not know, but even a small pot of Pad Thai is so filling it could feed a whole family and then some. Great food and great post.
http://askmelissaanything.blogspot.com/
Lindsay
Thanks Lissa!
Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk)
This looks amazing! I love the idea of spiralizing peppers–I just got a spiralizer and haven’t tried that yet 🙂
Lindsay
It’s so cool! I love the red pepper “noodles”!
Liz in St. Paul
My current obsession is spring rolls, and I would TOTES wrap up leftovers (if they exist) with lettuce, some quick pickled veg, and a drizzle of sweet chili sauce. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaas.
PS- I just realized that I majorly mess up your stats. I subscribe to your email list, which I check on my “vintage” iPhone 4S. But then. I type in the website when I get to my computer for the day to read/comment/ruin all your hard work analyzing traffic to POY. Sorry!
Lindsay
YES PLEASE! Love that idea Liz!
And not even weird about the stats. We don’t analyze THAT carefully. 🙂
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
How awesome is this!
I know how you feel about not cooking sometimes – most Sundays I get in a cooking slump – and don’t wanna do any cooking at all…then my daughter tries to eat chocolate covered noodles and I’m back in business!
Lindsay
Haha – glad you can relate! Thanks Shashi!
Leah @ Grain Changer
Yes, yes, and yesssss. What I wouldn’t give to face-plant in a big ol’ bowl of that right about now! This looks DELISH and SO impressed that you made it to the kitchen and whipped this up despite the craziness. High fives.
Lindsay
Thanks Leah! 🙂
Christopher Box
I needed this recipe! I am a pad thai addict! I am gonna add some shrimp and a little hot sauce! YUM!
Lindsay
YUMMMMS I love that idea!
Chris @ The Other Side of Food
Another awesome recipe, the pictures make it look absolutely delicious. I’m not a fan of meat less Pad Thai but I will be definitely be using this recipes and adding meat to it.
PS – The Spiralizer looks like too much fun haha
Lindsay
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it Chris! 🙂 I love Christopher’s comment about adding shrimp… that could be good too!
Jessie Squires
Yay another peanut sauce recipe overflowing with veggies. These are the recent recipes from you site that I love the most. Thanks for staying creative with your healthy meal ideas!
http://www.chasingbelle.com
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks, Jessie!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Big bowls of noodles are the best, but it’s the saucy noodles that get me….I NEED this!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Enjoy, Katrina! 🙂
Jessica Ford
I think what you are doing for those kids is so amazing. You deserve some time off from cooking.
This recipe looks delicious; I can’t wait to try it! I have that exact spiralizer and I love it.
Question about the fish sauce – I have tried some very yucky fish sauces. Can you recommend a brand that is good? Thanks!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Hi, Jessica! I personally use “Thai Kitchen” brand, and I think Lindsay has used that brand before as well. I’ve always been happy with it. 🙂
Stephanie
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I will definitely have to give it a try!
I have that exact spiralizer too & love it!
Max
Looks great and probably tastes great. WARNING – heart bomb for anyone with heart problems or potential heart problems. 58% sodium????
Three things hospitals tell you or ask you if you have heart problems or potential
1 – You are lucky to be alive
2 – Do you smoke?
3 – Avoid salt
( I have had 3 heart attacks in a year and well under 10% functioning heart so had a little experience LOL) Guess both God and Devil don’t want me yet LOL.
Try to substitute low sodium ingredients in the sauce if you can
Would love to taste this recipe though. Looks fantastic. Love your site by the way.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Such a great reminder, Max. It’s definitely a good idea to use low sodium ingredients when possible. Thanks!
Sarah
Hey Lindsay,
This looks deliciously colourful! Will be running out to get a spiralizer so I can try this recipe out at home 🙂
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
That’s awesome, Sarah! Enjoy! 🙂
Linda | A La Place Clichy
All the BEAUTIFUL COLORS! I can’t wait to whip this up and eat it at work! Oh how my coworkers will be so jealous…
Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
I love Pad Thai! I always order it when I go to a Thai restaurant. I should probably be more adventurous 😛 Anyways, since I’m not vegetarian, I’d love to make this recipe and throw in some shrimp too! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Yummy idea, Audrey! 🙂
Christine @ Cooking with Cakes
how simple yet AWESOME is this recipe?! the sauce is such a keeper too, would be perfect for summer rolls!!!
Ana | Espresso My Kitchen
I’m a BIG fan of pad thai and cannot wait to try this recipe! 🙂
Kathleen
Made it tonight and loved the favors! Two problems, though… The noodles didn’t soften and the fish sauce remained stinky after dinner.
Very disappointed about the noodles since it made the meal inedible. Next time, I’ll boil them a bit or maybe use some whole wheat angel hair pasta (cooked).
The fish sauce – what can you do..? It’s a bit stinky to me. The dish had great flavor though so I’ll make it again.
Live spiralizing all the veggies!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Fish sauce – I find it stinky, too! Generally though, the stink leaves (or at least lessens) after a short cook time. You could try cooking the sauce prior to adding it to the noodles to see if that helps. Also, rice noodles are definitely tricky. I think this would be good with angel hair if you decide to go that route. 🙂
Kathleen Martin
I couldn’t end on a fail so I made it again tonight. AWESOME!! Bought the correct noodles (love them) and added chicken. Stir fried the chicken in sesame oil with a little crushed red pepper at the beginning and tossed it in at the end. So good!! Thank you for a delicious meal!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
So glad to hear that, Kathleen!! This one was worth the second try. 🙂
Anna
I agree hahaha noodle veggies feels like more noodles ahahah so yummy
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
Medeja
So flavorful! And looks amazing!
[email protected]
This looks crazy delicious!
The Working Foodie
Wow – does this look delicious or what! I definitely need to try this (even if it’s just so I can justify finally getting a spiraliser!). I wonder if the sauce would work with additional soy sauce instead of fish sauce?! Will have to try it out.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Good thought! You could certainly try soy sauce, but fish sauce is one of those ingredients that gives pad thai it’s distinct flavor. We would suggest sticking to the fish sauce if you can. 🙂
Karen @ On the Banks of Salt Creek
I love Pad Thai but still haven’t found the time to find a good Thai restaurant in “town”.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
This is perfect for you because now you can just make it at home! 🙂
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen
Welcome to my world! Now I’ve added pregnancy exhaustion to the running after three kids and we’ve been eating out WAY more than usual. I mostly refuse the frozen pizza and chicken nuggets because I also have an inner food snob who just doesn’t want to eat them. And I would totally make the kids eat the pad thai. Which, by the way, looks awesome! Pad Thai has totally been a pregnancy craving, maybe because I just want to eat things I can cover in sriracha.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great, Lindsay! Hope you enjoy it – with sriracha on top! 🙂
Mary Frances
Your pad thai looks incredible. I love the fresh herbs and I totally agree, all food should be rainbow!
Morgan Sears
Hi Lindsay!
This looks AMAZING! I actually work with Annie Chun’s and would love to discuss some sampling opportunities with you! Please send me an email at [email protected] if you’re interested!
Best,
Morgan
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks, Morgan! I’ll pass this along to Lindsay.
Alex
I have the same spiralizer and I had no idea you could spiralize red pepper! HOW is this possible? Chop off the top and stick the bottom into the spiky thing? and use the plain blade?
PS – I made this last night, it was SO delicious. I couldn’t stop eating it…it did not end up being 4 servings…oops
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Ha! That happens. 😉 Glad you enjoyed it! I’ll have Lindsay get back to you about the red peppers!
Lindsay
Hey Alex! Yes – I just chopped off the top, stuck the base of the pepper to the spikes, and spun it around to get noodles! I used the alternate blade that just has the one blade on it (not all the little holes). I’ll be doing a post soon to demo! 🙂
Lindsay @ The Toasted Pine Nut
GUURL!!! This looks like the bomb!! I mean, delicious!!
Elaine
Very delicious, Would you post the recipe on tajinny.com 🙂
Reelika @Financially Wise On Heels
I am have never tried to cook anything like this one, but you got my attention, it looks delicious 🙂 I am into noodles, so hopefully it is going to be one of my favorite one 🙂
Emily @ Life on Food
I need to add zoodles to my diet. This looks amazing.
Daisy At Hone
I cannot get enough noodles in my life and these look absolutely perfect!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Awesome! Enjoy, Daisy!
alex | spice it up
Yum! I’ve never made pad thai because I always thought it wouldn’t come out as well homemade, but I think you’ve convinced me to finally try! I’m pretty sure I’m going to be upset about missing out on it all this time…
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Enjoy, Alex! 🙂
anita
Lindsay, your a girl after my own heart, this looks so good, my spirlalizer will definitely be trying this. Looks really good.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Enjoy, Anita! 🙂
Brasserie Louis
Hi Lindsay, this is a great recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing. 🙂
REK981
Hang in there, It Gets Better, blah blah blah.
I don’t dole out parenting advice because duh but I do always suggest to anyone who asks:
When it comes to feeding your own kids and then eventually other kids under your stead in your own home – Feed them what you eat. From the beginning. My daughter is only now at age 11 becoming a picky eater because of the exposure via friends and at school to the crap that is the ‘Standard American Diet’. Don’t buy into it,!! I worked full time and still nursed for 2 years and made my own baby food (where was baby led weaning 11 years ago?!).
I don’t do peanuts but this looks SO GOOD that I want it NOW ala Veruca Salt!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great tip! Hope you enjoy this! 🙂
Ritu G
Hi Lindsay! First recipe for me. Made this Monday night and it came out great!! Which is saying a lot since I really don’t cook or fail at cooking most times.
I added chicken too sliced thin cooked quickly and added in at the end. Didn’t have a spiralizer used a grater for all the veggies. Looked like a lot of veggies but was perfect in the end and such a great way to get those in with noodles.
Thanks for the great recipe hope to try another soon!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad to hear that, Ritu! Sounds like a yummy idea to add in the chicken! 🙂
Chella
Am always looking forward to your recipe ideas Linsay. This is just another one that i must try. And by the way, i was wondering what i should prepare for lunch today. Problem solved 🙂 Thank you for this one.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Hope you enjoy it, Chella!
Mae
Hi Lindsay, I’m so excited to try your recipe. But I’m wondering what’s the measurement if I’ll use vegan fish sauce as a substitute of fish sauce?
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Hi, Mae! From what I’ve read, I believe you can replace regular fish sauce with vegan fish sauce at a 1:1 ratio. Let us know how it works out for you! 🙂
john godino
Another astonishing series of posts. Dozens of posts by people who say “Ermigawd, looks great”, but only a handful who actually have tried it.
Once again, I’ll post a real world review with constructive comments.
(Lindsay, I’m trying to keep you honest here. Usually you have solid recipes, and they only need a little tweaking or clarification to be even better.)
First off, noodle cooking time. “Soak in cold water . . .” and then what?
Asian noodles, be they made of brown rice or white rice, are little tricky to cook properly.
They can go from too crunchy to overcooked in about 60 seconds.
The standard method for pad Thai noodles is to put them in a large pot of hot tap water for 20 to 30 minutes.
This slowly softens them about two thirds of the way through, and they finish cooking in the pan.
On a more positive note, the sauce is pretty good. Definitely Americanized ingredients (e.g., no tamarind paste) , but still pretty good.
It has the classic four Thai flavors of sweet, hot, sour and salty.
However, it can be improved with the use of lime juice rather than white vinegar.
I learned to cook this dish from a Thai friend, and she told me “Don’t get too hung up on the ingredients. In Thailand, pad Thai is a quick dish to use up all of the extras that you have lying around your kitchen.” So, pretty much any veggies or meat will do.
The key is to cook the noodles properly, and make the sauce correctly.
So, for those of you reading those who are confused about the cooking time, go for 20 minutes or so and a large pot of HOT tap water, and that should do it.
Raquel
I love pad thai.. it’s one of my favorite meals and I love that there are so many variations of it. Thanks for this super healthy recipe.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Hope you enjoy it, Raquel! 🙂
Jessica
I’ve tried several of your recipes with good success. This one was not so good for me or my husband. Something odd-tasting with the sauce for it. The Brazilian bowl looks really good and I’m looking forward to trying it.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Sorry to hear that, Jessica. Maybe cut back the amount of fish sauce a little bit to your liking? There were a few others who found the fish sauce too overpowering.
Joanna Robertson
Just made this for dinner and it was a success! I was nervous about the fish sauce and cooking the rice noodles, but it all worked out. I have a spiralizer (of some sort) but it failed to make noodles out of the pepper or onion. Oh well! I just adapted and it was still delicious. Thanks for the inspiration to try something new!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
That’s awesome! We love hearing that, Joanna. 🙂
Edwina
This was super yummy! I added a shredded chicken breast which worked well.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
So glad to hear that, Edwina! 🙂
Susan
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I will definitely be making this again. I don’t have a spiralizer, but my mandoline did the trick beautifully.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Good to know, Susan! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
juliana katuku
very wonderful and amazing article… i love this
Sarah K
We made this last week and it was DELICIOUS and super easy. Definitely will be adding it to the rotation!! 🙂 Thank you!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
So glad to hear that, Sarah! 🙂
Teresa
Unfortunately this did not turn out for me at all. I am sure I did something wrong, perhaps overcooking the noodles or veggies? But, I thought overall the sauce did not taste like Pad Thai sauce and it never really thickened. It seemed liked the veggie to noodle ratio was off too. I usually love the recipes on this site, but I got to be honest and say this one did not taste anything like the Pad Thai dishes I have had in restaurants.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks for you feedback, Teresa.
Adriane
This was amazing! My 5 kids (ages 7-11) loved this! I’ve been looking for a pad thai recipe that I liked for years now and this is a hands-down winner. We are now arguing about whether this or the tofu with the honey ginger sauce is better. 🙂 Will be making for my parents next week. thanks!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
So glad you and your family enjoyed this, Adrianne! 🙂
Bekah
Um. We made this tonight and it was so frickin delicious.
I’m pretty sure our taste buds are twins.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
That’s great! Thanks for the comment, Bekah. 🙂
Emily
Could you make this without the fish sauce, or is there a substitute? My finance absolutely hates all things-fish related and he doesn’t like making recipes that include it – but this looks fabulous!
Lindsay
Could you use the substitution that’s linked in the recipe?
Ocholla
Good work am salivating already.
kim
This is worth my time at least have learned something to try in the kitchen these weekend. Very grateful for your post.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great! Hope you enjoy it, Kim. 🙂
Valerie B.
I made this a couple nights ago and we absolutely loved it!. Agreeing with Kathleen above though that the noodles didn’t soften enough and that made it difficult to eat that night. However, by the time we had it for leftovers lunch the next day, the noodles were nice and soft. To make it gluten-free, I used tamari instead of soy sauce and I always use the lower sodium version. Next time, and there definitely will be a next time, I may just eliminate the rice noodles altogether and do more zucchini noodles. Those were fantastic! Thanks for another great recipe.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you enjoyed it, Valerie!
Jeannie
Hi Lindsay, I made this recipe to my pad thai despising boyfriend and he really like it. Loved the sauce, loved the veggies, I was impressed!!! I love it too. Will definitely have this sauce as my default pad thai recipe sauce. Then modify a little the veggies, etc.
Thank you!
Can I give an opinion? I looked for comments from people that actually made your recipe but it was rated 5 stars all over the place from people who only INTENDED to make it. I don’t like that, people should not rate if they haven’t tasted anything, don’t you think? I made it, hence I rate it. I deserve the privilege (HAHA) to rate it ! Lol!
Thanks again. I made about 3 of your recipes so far and all were DELISH, but this is my first rating.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great suggestion, Jeannie. Glad you enjoyed it!
Lindsay
I agree Jeannie! (And I’m glad you liked this one so you could earn the rating!) 🙂 I definitely wish there was a way for me to limit both the positive AND the negative ratings when coming from people who haven’t made the recipe. Sometimes readers will rate the recipe as 2 stars without ever making it, citing the fact that they don’t like __ ingredient as the reason. But there’s not much we can do about it – I guess people will do what people will do! 🙂 Appreciate your genuine, tried-it-already comment and rating!
Janee
I made this but added chicken thighs. Super delicious!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great addition, Janee! Yum!
Danielle
Hi Lindsay,
Just made the sauce for this recipe and tasted it before cooking and adding to the dish, it tastes CRAZY salty! Will this mellow out a little after cooking or is it due to the fish sauce? Thanks!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
It should mellow with cooking! Fish sauce is really strong until it’s cooked.
LaurentheLazy
Oh I made it…let me tell you, in the Asian-culture-deprived region of Eastern Tennessee, these noodles are a wonderful, exciting, and versatile reprieve from biscuits and gravy.
My family (whose culinary preference ranges from pork to beef and maybe chicken) has specifically requested these noodles twice in one week and don’t seem to mind forgoing their carnivorous tendencies. They’re that good.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Awesome, Lauren! Thanks for the comment!
Stephanie Tran
Such a great recipe! I especially loved the simplicity of the sauce, yet it still tasted like pad thai. First time using brown rice noodles, and I loved them as well. They did not get sticky like regular rice noodles do. I guess it’s kinda like steamed white rice vs brown rice. I have made pad thai a long time ago but never attempted again because the noodles stuck like crazy and because some recipes are just too complex (I tend to choose recipes based on the number of ingredients).
I did not have trouble with the noodles not being soft enough, and I used the same brand you listed. Maybe it was because it took me awhile to prep the other ingredients so the noodles had extra time to soak.. I was having trouble spiralizing the red pepper and onion with the vegetti (doesn’t work) so I ended up having to slice them.
Anyway, I would love to see a “lightened up” pad see ew!!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Great, Stephanie! Glad you liked it!
Chantelle from Calgary
I just made this for my family of four. I have never had rice noodles turn out so well!! I used Hungarian paprika instead of chilli paste, as my kids are still not there yet with spicy and they loved it! We also added a whole whack of shredded Swiss chard and kale as we are drowning in it (from the garden this year). I just bought a spiralizer at superstore yesterday!! For 14$ I might add- cha Ching! I’m off to check out your post and see how this spiralizer is going to change my life! Thanks for all the yummy recipes. Keep ’em coming!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Awesome, Chantelle! Enjoy that spiralizer! 🙂
Carly
Absolutely delicious! Excellent sauce
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks, Carly!
Momi
I love this stuff and had no idea I could make my own and that it would be so delicious and EASY! Thanks, Lindsay! This is a winner!!! Again, it’s so easy!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you liked it, Momi!
cookingwithstephanie.com
I really love the flavor of this dish. Thanks you and look forward to your new recipe
Check out my website to share our thought about baking
http://cookingwithstephanie.com/en/
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you liked it!
Chris
This was awesome! Cut the fish sauce from three to two tibbles. Definitely a “make again”.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks, Chris!
Danika Maia
Oh my god I just made this with king prawns and a pad thai sauce I found at the asian market and it was so simple and delicious!! Thanks for the inspo 🙂
Danika Maia
http://www.danikamaia.com
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you liked it! 🙂
Heather
I just made this today for my family…it was amazing. Love the sauce (although was a little skeptical of the fish sauce)…and it tasted like my favorite Pad Thai at Pei Wei. Thank you!! Definitely making this again!! 🙂
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Awesome, Heather! 🙂
Nina
We made a half serving and ended up doubling the sauce but still didn’t have enough oomph or flavor for us. Might just be us because I know it is a big hit with lots of other folks. Don’t know what we did wrong:(
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks for the feedback, Nina.
Julia
We are making this for Christmas! You just saved us. We just realized that Christmas falls on a Friday and we can’t eat meat on Fridays so I’m making this and eggrolls. Yay.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad to help! Enjoy Julia. 🙂
Isabella
I made this tonight (double batch). I left out the egg and added tofu. I also used less sugar. It’s so good! Even my picky omnivore boyfriend loved it. Can’t wait for leftovers!
Isabella
I also found Thai basil to use in this recipe, and I am going to be putting that in everything I eat this week! I don’t think I’ve ever had fresh basil before, but Thai basil is slightly sweet and licorice-ey. It was amazing. I basically had a cilantro basil salad on top of my noodles haha.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Sounds yummy! Those herbs are so tasty!
Christine
This recipe was yummy! As someone who uses fish sauce regularly (I’m half Vietnamese), I would suggest beginners take down the fish sauce a touch if you aren’t used to it. This tastes extremely close to my favorite pad Thai restaurant’s dish, but it was aa just a tad too salty (coming from the fish sauce. As you said, fish sauce has a very unique flavor when cooked, so you can tell when it comes from the fish sauce!). And I mean JUST a tad. I still enjoyed this so much! Very yummy, thanks for the recipe! =)
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Awesome tips, Christine! Glad you liked it!
Lea Collins
Made this tonight. It looks like a disaster but its very, very good. Even the 8 yr old likes it. I should’ve read the tip for using less sauce. Next time I will because my egg didn’t really fry but boil-cook (I’m sure there is a technical term for it) since there was still lots of sauce in the pan. But besides that – Yummy!!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you liked it, Lea!
Kathie Brinkman
Best Pad Thai ever! I’ve often asked our local restaurant to add extra vegetables (and charge me appropriately, of course) to improve the noodle/veggie ratio. I love Pad Thai, but it’s usually noodle dense. No more, now that I have this recipe.
I did fear the sodium and strong flavor of the fish sauce, so I cut it to 2 Tbl, per suggestions in the comments, and upped the chicken broth by 1 Tbl to compensate.
Both my husband and I loved this. It’s a keeper. Also, my first time to spiralize veggies and that’s a keeper too. That treatment really melded the favors.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Love hearing that, Kathie! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Linda
I never post comments, but had to after making this recipe last night. It was so good. I just loved in. Reheats wonderfully and had finished it off for lunch today.
Definitely will be part of our Meatless Monday rotation. I staggered cooking the veggies, cooking the zucchini last.
Thank you for such a yummy recipe.
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Love hearing that, Linda!
rena
hi! i made this tonight and it was kind of disappointing 🙁 i found the sauce waaaay too fishy. i love fish but i think the sauce would have been okay with maybe half a tablespoon-tablespoon of fish sauce. so my only suggestion for readers would be add fish sauce as you go to taste, and i’m not sure if this was left out on purpose or on accident but definitely add lime juice either as a garnish or add a ton to the sauce 🙂 otherwise it would have been a great meal!!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks for the feedback, Rena!
meg
just soaking the pad thai noodles was not enough to soften them. i guess they need to be boilied
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks for the feedback, Meg.
Julieta Munoz
I tried out this recipe today, and omggg it was sooo good. Thank you!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Awesome, Julieta! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Matt
This is quite disappointing being labeled vegetarian only to see chicken (or vegetable) broth and fish sauce (or vegan substitute) Vegan/Vegetarians looking for recipes on the net are hoping to find easy recipes, not near based recipes we’re told to sub ingredients ourselves and to find special alternative products that are likely hard to find.
Fela
I really enjoyed this recipe, as did my husband. The only question I have is how 4 oz of brown rice noodles serves 4! I guess we eat too much 😉 I use all 8 oz box
Brandi
Made this last night and subbed out fish sauce for gluten free soy sauce (I try to be vegetarian if at all possible)- it still tasted great! I also used Annie Chun’s brown rice pad thai to make it a tad more healthy. This is a very texture-rich and flavorful recipe and I will definitely make it again. My friends really loved it too!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Good to know, Brandi! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
yep
Phew, that’s a LOT of sugar – not very healthy! I made it but with just a little bit of sugar – just as good and won’t wreck your diet!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Thanks for the feedback.
Kara
My first time cooking thai food and so glad I used this recipe. I didn’t jabs brown sugar do I substituted honey which worked super well. Was just as good as take out (..or better. Love veggies)! More food for the price but definitely prep and dishes as the trade off. Good thing I love to cook! So delicious! Thank you!
Kristin @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you liked it, Kara! 🙂
Sue
Recipe sounds wonderful, I love Pad Thai… However I would recommend writing Only the info. that’s actually needed to prepare the recipe.
Barb
Hands down, the best pad Thai recipe I’ve tried! No leftovers tonight — thank you!
Jenna @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you loved it, Barb!
Heather
Why list something as vegetarian when the ingredients include fish and chicken?
Oh and Pad thai traditionally has tofu in it, even the meat versions. And Tamarind. This a noodle dish, not Pad Thai.
Lynne
How many servings does this recipe make? Also I am on a very reduced sodium diet so what would an alternate tor the soy sauce?
Jenna @ Pinch of Yum
Hi Lynne! The recipe is 4 servings. We’d suggest using low-sodium soy sauce.
Laura
Lindsay –
I had made this before but I prepared it tonight for my parents. They loved it and said it was restaurant quality. Better than the dishes at their favorite Thai restaurants.
Thanks for continuing to put out awesome recipes that my family and I love!
Jenna @ Pinch of Yum
So glad to hear it, Laura! 🙂
Claire
Made this last night and it was so good 🙂 Just wanted to add to comments who have made it!
Audra
My boyfriend and I challenged ourselves to try going vegetarian for one week (tomorrow that week is up and we plan on continuing). He stumbled on your recipe, and I made gave it a shot. Holy wow! It was great! As good if not better than our local Thai restaurant.
Midi
I made this but didn’t have peanuts so I added a little natural peanut butter into sauce, added garlic into sauce too and more chili paste. Instead of white wine I used Apple cider vinegar and I used white sugar. No spiralizer. I just used a knife and had shredded carrots. I would soak the noodles longer, they were not quite soft enough but I work fast in the kitchen with my cutting skills. I didn’t measure just eyeballed and tasted. It cooks fast so we ended up eating way sooner than I was expecting. Surprisingly simple recipe and really yum- and fast!
Gina Yo
How many calories are in the meal if you do not make the sauce?
Janet Bareiss
Loved the recipe. another alternative to your link for vegan fish sauce (which luckily doesn’t need seaweed) is one from Vegetarian Times. 1/4 cup lime juice , 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp peanut oil (drain the oil off of your natural organic peanut butter). It is probably not as good as the one with miso and seaweed, but its not bad! Overall recipe was great. I’ve made it twice now. Once with fish sauce, and then now with the VT fish sauce substitute. Beautiful, Tasty, Easy.
Jenna @ Pinch of Yum
Glad you enjoyed it, Janet! 🙂 And thanks for the tip!
Julie
Hi…im soo goona make it this weekend with my best friend…but we might make it with chicken of beef…It looks soooooo goood!!!
Jenna @ Pinch of Yum
Enjoy, Julie! 🙂
Janet
I’ve made it with tofu before, and it was great.
Connie
OMG Lindsay! This is one delicious and beautiful dish! It’s the first time I have made pad thai, but it for sure will not be the last. I grated my zucchini and carrot, and chopped my onion and red pepper; I don’t have a spiralizer (I know…). I probably used more than 1/2 cup of herbs (cilantro, thai basil, green onions and basil) but I love the freshness they bring to the party. And I had millet and brown rice ramen from Costo instead of a straight brown rice noodle. LOVE IT!!
Jenna @ Pinch of Yum
Glad to hear it, Connie! 🙂